Tokyo Olympics rescheduled until 2021 due to COVID-19 pandemic

ISLAMABAD, Mar 25 (DNA): It is unfortunate but it was unavoidable. Tokyo 2020 Olympics & Paralympics have been postponed until summer 2021.

The IOC President Thomas Bach and Prime Minister ABE Shinzo, after a wide-ranging consultations and deliberations, have announced yesterday to postpone the Tokyo Olympic & Paralympic Games because of the coronavirus pandemic to safeguard the health of the athletes, everybody involved in the Games and the international community.

The IOC President said the Tokyo Games would still be called the 2020 Olympics, even though they will be held in 2021 as ‘light at the end of pandemic tunnel’.

Ambassador MATSUDA in his message to the Pakistani athletes, who were all set to take part in the mega event, has said that it was a tough decision to delay the Games.

However, after analyzing the situation arising out of the COVID-19, IOC and the Government of Japan together have ultimately decided to reschedule the Olympic & Paralympic Games to a later date beyond 2020, but not later than summer 2021, after a complete victory over the pandemic.

“Please continue preparations for the Olympic & Paralympic Games with renewed zeal and spirit”, advised the Ambassador to Pakistani athletes.

Also expressing his gratitude to Lt General (retd) Syed Arif Hasan, the President of Pakistan Olympic Association, for his support , Ambassador MATSUDA has said that Japan was determined to further support Pakistan in the field of sports and he was looking forward to further cooperating with POA.

The Ambassador hoped that the pandemic COVID-19 would be defeated through the collective efforts of the international community, and assured Pakistan all of his support in the face of this global challenge.=DNA